Lexus IS200

With some extra power to match its ride, the IS200 could have beaten BMW, writes David Morley.

23 March 2011David Morley

Lexus has been accused of cynicism for throwing some leather trim and a different badge on the products of its parent company, Toyota, but some of the cars bearing the Lexus badge truly are distinctive entities. The specifically Lexus models tend to be the more interesting ones in the line-up, not the least of those being the IS200.

Launched in 1999, when most of its competitors had switched to front-wheel-drive for cars of the IS200's size, the little Lexus broke with tradition and used a rear-drive layout.

That move was not because Lexus believed front-wheel-drive couldn't work in such a package (clearly it could), but rather because the competitor in the IS200's sights, the BMW 318i, was also rear-drive.

The 3-Series dominated its market segment. Indeed, BMW invented the notion of a compact prestige car. But Lexus has never been shy in tackling the big guns, so that's where it aimed the IS200.

But where the BMW exudes an overall sense of restraint, the Lexus is brash in character. The interior is a bit trinkety, with a contrived-looking instrument panel (which didn't actually work well in an ergonomic sense) and some trim details that seem a little too deliberate. But the exterior styling is spot on, with enough aggression built into the attractive sedan bodyshell to convince most people it was the real deal.

The BMW 3-Series has always been notable -- in this modern world of either four-cylinder or V6 engine configurations -- for offering an in-line six-cylinder powerplant.

There was no Toyota-derived engine featuring this layout in the necessary capacity, so Lexus came up with its own in-line six, measuring 2.0 litres.

Now, 2000cc is not a big capacity for six cylinders, but BMW had a 2.0-litre six (along with a 2.5-litre and 2.8-litre), and the combination of small size and multiple cylinders almost guarantees a smooth and refined feel. That's exactly what the new Lexus delivered. It wasn't, however, especially fast (but neither was the 2.0-litre 3-Series), and that was the biggest gripe from the marketplace.

Essentially, you have to be brutal with the IS200 to get it to accelerate even remotely briskly, and it punishes lazy drivers with very leisurely performance.

It isn't until the engine is inside about the last 1500rpm of its rev range that it really starts to deliver, so hustling it along requires the driver to keep the engine screaming.

That is made possible by the six-speed manual, although even with the closely spaced gear ratios, having the engine fall out of its powerband is always on the cards, unless you are completely merciless.

That said, if you can be bothered to thrash the IS200, it isn't bad fun, although it never really feels muscular, even at full noise.

Should you, however, be an automatic transmission addict, an IS200 is perhaps not the best purchase, as the four-speed that Lexus fitted was, given the engine's narrow powerband, at least one, and possibly two, ratios shy of the vehicle's true requirements. It's simply impossible to keep the engine boiling away with such big gaps in the ratios and, given the power-sapping nature of most automatics, you suddenly have a very lacklustre performer.

Of course, all previous statements refer to the car's straight-line performance, because it is a true delight in the twisty stuff. The rear-wheel-drive layout frees the front wheels up to do just the steering, and the feedback and accuracy is a revelation for those who have only ever driven front-wheel-drive compact cars.

The level of involvement is top of the class, and the flat cornering, combined with a relatively supple ride, make the IS200 a real driver's car.

Were it not for the lack of urge, it would have been one of the great driver's cars.

Lexus tried to address that criticism by offering the IS with a three-litre version of the in-line six from 2001 onwards, but demonstrated that it had completely missed the point by only offering the IS300 in automatic form (admittedly a five-speed).

An IS with the 3.0-litre six and the six-speed manual gearbox would surely have been one of the great cars of its time, and would have given the BMW 3-Series the shake-up that Lexus always had in mind. In this form, however, it remains the one that got away.

What to pay

The lower end of things is around the low-to-mid $30,000 bracket. For that, you're buying a 1999 model with its share of kilometres on board. There's more interest -- and better choice -- at around $40,000, and it's possible to spend more than $50,000 for a late-model car with all the options.

The competition

Obviously, BMW's 3-Series cars, in four- and six-cylinder forms, rate as competition, but so do other chic Euros such as Alfa Romeo's 156, Saab's 9-3, and established prestige Japanese cars such as Honda's Accord. Throw in locally badged Euros, such as the Holden Vectra, and it's a competitive segment.

Prices and details correct at publication date.

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